Such Is Life

2000. Mexico. Directed by Arturo Ripstein. With Arcelia Ramírez, Luis Felipe Tovar, Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Ernesto Yáñez. Coproduction with Spain. This highly stylized present-day retelling of the myth of Medea is set in the seediest corners of Mexico City. A woman, abandoned by her husband (a lowlife, second-rate boxer and opportunist), evicted by her landlord (her husband's new father-in-law), and about to lose custody of her two children, plans revenge with the help of her godmother. The barely controlled rage of the screenplay, the intensity of a uniformly excellent cast, and the fearless theatricality of the direction build to towering emotional impact. In Spanish; English subtitles. 110 min.

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